The War for the Future
by soccerchick-08
Summary: Neal is a veteran soldier and alongside Kel and Dom he marches off to what will probably be his last battle. Then something happens and Neal must sacrifice everything for the future of his friends. slight KD...oneshot


So my first attempt at a one shot, slight k/d

The air was filled with cries and shouts at every given moment, my emerald green eyes furrowed in disbelief as I saw the glazed eyes of one of my past friends from the page years. I bit back a cry of pain as I saw his brother lying beside him I hastily took out a handkerchief that I kept to sometimes wipe sweat off my face and covered their cold faces. I gripped my sword that lay in its place, ready to be unleashed to avenge my fallen friends.

I marched over bloodied grass along side the Own and the one lone lady knight in the kingdom. This was to be the war that would end all wars, that's what we had been told at least. I found it far-fetched and ridiculous, but the green knights and squires found this quite exhilarating. To the veterans it was just another war of many to come.

My nose curled slightly as the metallic scent of blood strengthened.

I looked to my left and saw Dom and Kel standing beside one another, the usually laughing couple had grim set faces as they marched off into battle. We were reinforcements; the aged group was composed of experienced knights and soldiers. Every single one had long since seen the kraken and had been toughened by war. Every time we were sent home we would only be called back to fight, the aged veteran's numbers were dwindling and yet we were still being used.

A man can only go through so much war until they come to a point where they just want to settle down and be a normal everyday man. I sighed thinking of Yuki and our one child, Yuki had long since passed away and my daughter was in the middle of her last year of being a page. If this war kept progressing she might just be called to war as well.

We reached the top of the hill and everyone in the scarred group looked to the leaders, Dom and Kel. The two it seems had been holding hands and they quickly dropped them," You men all know what we must do. This war is for the generation to come…" Kel's voice trailed off sadly and the ebbing thought came abruptly to cover my mind, we were all going to die, we had all gone through too much and been too lucky and now everything will catch up with us.

My throat began to choke up, not for myself but for my dear friend and cousin, they had never had a life together because of war. Never married, never had children, never anything but a love for one another and they were still going to be unable to live like they should have been able to.

"Let's go men, and may Mithros guide you." Dom's strong baritone voice struck me and I uneasily stepped forward. Stepping over the hill I saw bloodied grass and shadows of men fighting for their lives. Every so often a bloodcurdling scream would strike the air and I would wonder if it was someone I knew. The clang of metal intensified and I moved to get closer to my dearest friends.

My eyes widened in surprise as we met the enemy. The mix of Tortallans and enemy was so overwhelming that one could hit their own man by mere accident. As I struck the first man across the belly my body and mind switched to one of a predator, seeking only to survive and live. I could hear the gasps of men being killed by Kel's glaive and Dom's quick work with the sword. They would have had brilliant children.

I heard a man fall to my right but I didn't bother to look not knowing if it was my own man or the enemy. The fight kept raging I heard a battle cry come from behind me and knew it to be a group of green knights or squires. _Mithros Bless._ So many lives will be ruined and the lives of future children will never come. I heard numerous cries among my comrades, the green knights had reached us and been overwhelmed by war.

The numbers of the men coming seemed to lessen but my head thumped from the loss of blood from a long cut that ran across my side. This battle is so my daughter doesn't have to come to fight…this battle for the future.

My mind was still working in a primordial way until I heard a deep cry and a scream from a woman. I ran backwards to give me room to look at what had happened. I saw Kel fighting off the enemy while standing in front of her lover. My heart sunk, no…I ran towards them and began to pick up Dom without thinking, I almost got gutted by Kel but at the last minute she seemed to recognize me with those hardened hazel eyes that had long since lost their dreamy appearance," Please Neal."

I didn't bother to nod but carried my fading cousin up the hill to work on him," Neal don't you have to protect Kel, it's too late to save me." His voice was dry and raspy I took off his helmet to allow him to breath easier. His hair was matted with sweat and his once handsome face had aged gracefully. I looked down at his side where it looked like a man had gotten him with a long weapon. The deep cut went down his entire left side and he had a deep cut in his shoulder.

This is for the future…I easily reached the thread of magic that had always been there, and forced it into my cousin," Neal don't…" I could hear his labored breathing and I rushed in fixing the sinew and renewing the blood he had lost. His shoulder had been fixed for the most part and I hurried to finish his healing as I started to heal him I went to fetch some magic from my source but to my dismay I had used up my reserves.

This is for the children to come…I swallowed down my tears and began to use my life source I saw the thing I had always called my light begin to flicker as if it was being blown out. Thankfully Dom had rolled into unconsciousness or else he would have long since stopped me. Kel and Dom will be happy…

I felt my breath begin to shorten and my heartbeat getting slower.

Dom's lung had been punctured I shoved more magic into him, everything was becoming so dark…

It seemed like ages that I was traveling through that bottomless well until I felt as if the light in my body had been snuffed and I roughly hit the bottom.

Neal's body rolled over onto his cousin's breathing body and remained there until the Tortallans won the battle. The lone lady knight of the kingdom made her way up the hill and recognized the body of her lover and best friend. Kel approached warily hoping them both to be okay even if she knew that wasn't the case. Eying the two men she loved dearly she saw the rise and fall of the one she had never gotten the chance to marry. She looked onto her friend having high hopes. Looking at her dear friend she wished that she had missed the movement of his chest; she made a move to turn him over and instantly recoiled as she felt the clammy coolness of death.

The hope in her stomach dropped as his chest never rose. She vaguely remembered Neal talking about the battle," This will be the war for the future, hopefully for you two lovebirds." Kel bit the inside of her mouth but despite all her Yamani training she could not withhold the tears that fell for the man that had sacrificed everything for their future.

Sooo this was my first attempt at something rather depressing and a one shot, so tell me what you think :


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